Playful Rebellion: Maximize Workplace Success Through The Power of Play

My official favorite audiobook! Listening to Gary read how passionate he is about helping others brings joy to me!!This book made me realize how much playful time I’m missing from my life and my day to day.After finishing it all, I sat there and thought of all the little things I would do to bring me joy.. and even though my everyday life is busy. I’m making it a goal each week, to color/ paint even make a bracelet. Challenging my inner childhood.Now, from a business point of view. Not everyone is crazy about their HR department, but having the experience you see so many adult stressed, drained and not motivated to work. Most days people don’t even want to be at their job! Implementing acts of playfulness at work could bring comfort and less tension.Be playful!

None of us had trouble playing when we were kids. And then somewhere along the way we fell off the play train - most of us never got back on it (especially in the workplace). As someone who facilitates cooperative play experiences for organizations, I loved reading Gary's approach to play being a rebellious act. I say we jump on Gary's rebel train and bring play back into our lives - especially our work lives - no matter what our age. It makes us better people and better people make for better workplaces. Thank you Gary for hitting it out of the park - I look forward to being a play rebel!

The way Gary teaches Play helped me reverse my Type 2 Diabetes, recover from burnout, make healthier career choices, and bring my best work into the world - so yeah, this book is worth the time and money.This book is loaded with illustrations, metaphors, analogies, personal stories, and plenty of facts to illustrate the chronic problem of a society and culture that doesn't embrace play. You will find yourself nodding aggressively, researching improv classes near you, and skipping down the street as you remember the joy of play.Full disclosure: Gary was my improv instructor and the principles he shared with us in class changed my life forever, so if you have a chance to work with or hire Gary, TAKE THE LEAP Y'ALL. This book is like having a Mini Gary in your pocket to remind you of how important it is to bring play back into your life.

Maybe you are sitting back and wondering if this is the right book for you. Well, stop it! Playful Rebellion is a game changer in being able to find joy in your life again. The book is jam-packed with aha's left and right, so get your highlighter, notepad or tattoo needle ready to permanently note what this book teaches. It is so easy to implement and Gary is the most approachable people you will ever comes across. I have actually purchased both the hard copy and the audible version for myself.In other words, stop thinking and do it. Get this book, see your life become better after the first moment you incorporate these learnings into your life. Then, hire Gary - personally, professionally, in any way you can.

Gary has inspired me to be intentional about taking breaks, playing, and celebrating wins. I collect power ups and I’m paying more attention to detail, more aware of my surroundings and the people in my life. I just was not paying attention to how fatigued I was by working intensely without taking breaks, feeling guilty because I wasn’t working enough and neglecting relationships. I keep re-reading the “Radical Acceptance of Reality” chapter. Oh, man this chapter is great for when life goes off the rails. Gary’s words sum up the information I have been trying to glean from Seneca and Epictetus…How to accept the offer before you.

I would definitely recommend this book. I have been in Gary’s Zoomers to Boomers intergenerational international improv classes on zoom and have done improv with him in person at WDS in Portland, Oregon. Gary’s superpower is including everyone. He gets people with anxiety like me to participate and play and not worry if I make a mistake because “there are no mistakes in improv”. Also his zoom sessions during the pandemic helped me as I was home alone for 668 days in a high risk category.

My wife has been going on and on about how Gary Ware has inspired her to see the fun and joy in life. We ordered the book. I've been listening to audible. We thrived in the old work paradigm: long intense hours, lots of sacrifices, missed many life events, and played really hard when work allowed. Now is a good time for us to incorporate more play in our life. Playful Rebellion is our instruction manual.

Gary Ware did a great job of helping me have a little more perspective at work and to be sure to enjoy life. I’m glad that I read this book. I hope he writes another one.

Humans have a natural instinct to play, many of us remember when as children we played, even as adults we probably remember our time out of work more than our time in itIn this book, Gary Ware argues that we can be more productive, more creative, more collaborative, and foster a deeper connection with our colleagues through playMaybe it’s time to shift our perspective away from the belief that play is the opposite of productivity, after all, storytelling is now accepted as a way to communicate, surely it would be better if we played at work?Gary talks about seeing your work as a proving ground into a playground, and in the book, you learn exercises and activities to facilitate with your team that will prime them to do their best work

Playful Rebellion and Gary's message is a simple yet important reminder to get back to basics and remember what it means to play. Not only what it means to play, but how it can help you be more productive, confident, and have more fun. Lots of simple tips and tricks you can apply as soon as you close the book.